Evaluation of long-term protection from nursery to vineyard provided by Trichoderma atroviride SC1 against fungal grapevine trunk pathogens.

Background: Fungal grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) represent a threat to viticulture, being responsible for important economic losses worldwide. Nursery and vineyard experiments were set up to evaluate the ability of Trichoderma atroviride SC1 to reduce infections of GTD pathogens in grapevine planting material during the propagation process and to assess the long-term protection provided by this biocontrol agent on grapevine plants in young vineyards during two growing seasons.

Results: Reductions of some GTD pathogen incidence and severity were found on grapevine propagation material after nursery application of T. atroviride SC1 during the grafting process, and also after additional T. atroviride SC1 treatments performed during two growing seasons in young vineyards, when compared with untreated plants.

Conclusion: Trichoderma atroviride SC1 showed promise to reduce infections caused by some GTD pathogens in nurseries, and also when establishing new vineyards. This biological control agent could possibly be a valuable component in an integrated management approach where various strategies are combined to reduce GTD infections. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.